(China) Pictures at an Exhibition

TAIPEI, Taiwan - My trip is winding down at my aunt's house in Taipei, and because of the rain outside, it looks like I will spending my last night in Asia indoors. That's okay, I suppose...although there is apparently a tall building in the city in which you can get a really great view of all of Taipei---and it looks like I might not get a chance to see it for myself this time. Shame, but probably just as well; truth be told, I'm just about all traveled and sightseeing-ed out right now. I barely mustered enough energy and enthusiasm to visit the National Palace Museum in Taipei today, where there are a lot of artworks and artifacts spanning all the way back to the Neolithic Era. (Chiang Kai-shek really made sure to take 'em all before he left China, apparently.)

Anyway, looks like I might have enough time to put up a few pictures from all the major places we visited on our trip. So let's continue on with this photo mini-retrospective, shall we?

Temple of Heaven




I also visited Summer Palace, but I ran out of battery on my Powershot that day sooner than I expected, so I decided to use my mother's EOS camera to take pictures there. Unfortunately, I seem unable to transfer pictures from that camera onto my MacBook. Those will have to wait until after my mother and brother come back with their cameras.

Oh yes, and later that third official day of the tour, I did get a taste of Peking roast duck. It was glorious.

The Great Wall of China

I didn't climb high enough to be considered a "hero" in Chairman Mao's eyes...but I climbed pretty far, as some of my aerial photos hopefully suggest.

My brother, Masao, and I


My mother, the soldier...


Who needs Chairman Mao's approval? I'm my own hero!



No point to the inclusion of this one; I just thought it looked serene.


The goal for me: climbing to the top-most building I see from this angle






I made it! ...to my goal, at least.



Ming Tombs








After three days in Beijing, onward to Wuxi, in China's Jiangsu province...

Lake Tai





Turtle-Head Islet Park









Supposedly, throw a coin successfully on this turtle's shell and you'll get good fortune. I tried twice and failed. Guess no good fortune for me...



From Wuxi to Suzhou

Humble Administrator's Garden











Peekaboo!



That's it for now; gotta pack up and get ready for the airport tomorrow. I'm coming back to the U.S., readers! More to come...